Ambition
by Ryeloza
Summary: Percy Weasley reflects on why he was in Griffindor.


Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling. I doesn't belong to me in any way, shape, or form.  
  
"Ambition" by: NightDreamer1010  
  
  
  
*****  
  
  
  
Most young witches and wizards do not start school knowing exactly what they want to do once they finish. And even fewer have a specific plan as to how to go about ascertaining these goals. But I was not among the majority when I entered Hogwarts. When I was eleven, I not only knew what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, but I also knew the best way to prove my worthiness of this job. I was going to work at the Ministry of Magic, and I knew one sure way to prove my capability was by being a prefect.  
  
I had wanted to work at the Ministry when I was an adult for as long as I can remember. The idea of having the power to shape the wizarding world, to help keep things peaceful and within my control had an appeal nothing else could possibly compare with. My heart, my soul, and my mind knew I belonged there, helping to change the world. Of course, these aren't the reasons people assumed I wanted to devote myself to the Ministry. Adults would ask me what I wanted to "be" when I grew up and when I'd inform them I wanted to work at the Ministry, they'd exclaim: "How darling! He wants to be just like his daddy when he grows up!"  
  
And because of this everyone dismissed my dream as though it were a childhood fantasy of simply longing to be like my dad. No one takes a seven-year-old seriously when they say something like that. And it only made me more determined to prove them wrong. To prove that it wasn't folly or a foolish dream, it was my goal.  
  
I knew beyond a doubt one way to show everyone how certain I was that I would be more than able to work for the Ministry was by becoming a prefect. This idea first stemmed from observing my brother, Bill. Bill had been named a prefect the year before I went to Hogwarts. Mum and Dad had been so proud of him and he wore a badge to show everyone how important he was. The few weeks before he left for school he let me wear the badge and explained his many duties to me. The badge gave Bill power, I realized, and, as I already knew at the tender age of ten, power led to more power and responsibility. I knew it would be a natural step: prefect to Ministry. And when I discovered what a Head Boy was, well, it was as though my birthday had come early.  
  
So starting school, my two major goals in life both included the responsibility of power, following rules, and achieving great ends to prove my worth of them. Little did I know at the time of the sorting that the ends I would go to to achieve my goals could be summed up in one word. One word that most people use to summarize Slytherins: Ambition.  
  
I realized right away I did not fit in to Griffindor as perfectly as most of the others seemed to. I was paranoid to break even one school rule; what if it spoiled my plans for the future? I spent most of my time studying and because of this, alienated myself from many of the other students. I became rigid with nervousness that one slip-up would ruin my chances for life.  
  
After the first couple of months Bill and Charlie began to worry.  
  
"Learn to have a little fun, Perce," Bill would say. "Studying all the time isn't good for you. There's more to life."  
  
"But if I want to be a prefect some day, if I want to work at the Ministry some day, I've got to keep up with my work!" I'd insist.  
  
Charlie would snort. "Bill's prefect," he'd say, "and he certainly hasn't spent all of his time studying. A lot of it, yes, crazy bloke. But even he doesn't keep it up constantly."  
  
But I'd ignored them. "That was Bill," I'd said to myself. "He doesn't have to be perfect to reach his goals." And at the time it certainly seemed like Bill could do everything without trying. I was naïve.  
  
The first time I skipped a Quidditch game to go to the library, however, was when I realized I didn't belong within the walls of Griffindor. That I was actually meant to be in the dungeons with the rest of the truly ambitious students.  
  
By the time the game was over I had returned to my room to study. It was silent when I arrived, but utter chaos broke loose as soon as my roommates returned.  
  
"Missed a wicked match, Perce," they said.  
  
"Yeah, Perce, where were you?"  
  
I didn't look up from my book. "I've been studying. Have to keep up top marks, you know, if I'm going to work at the Ministry one day."  
  
They had rolled their eyes. "One afternoon off wouldn't hurt you, Percy," they claimed.  
  
And I had shaken my head.  
  
That night I woke up suddenly from a dream and found my roommates in midst a lively discussion. About me.  
  
"He'd lighten up loads if he's just pull his head out of a book for more than a second," someone said.  
  
"He'd have more friends too, for that matter," added another.  
  
"Did you hear what Sylvia said about him today?" a third voice questioned.  
  
"No. . ." came the response. "What?"  
  
There was a snort of laughter. "She said he's so ambitious it was a fluke he wound up in Griffindor. He really belongs with the Slytherins!"  
  
The boys dissolved in to giggles and I fought back tears. The words stung. Long after they were finally overtaken by sleep I lay awake. They were right, of course. I did belong in Slytherin. Even though every other Weasley was destined for Griffindor, the sorting hat had obviously made a mistake with me. And now there was nothing I could do. So I resolved myself to my fate. I was who I was no matter which house I was in and that was the way it was going to stay.  
  
I realized, as time went on, that the other Griffindors were ambitious. Oliver Wood claimed he knew the moment he first sat on a broomstick that he wanted to play Quidditch professionally someday. And he became passionate about meeting his goal above all other things. Even my brothers had their own hopes and dreams they were driven to achieve. But none of it seemed to compare to my own desires and the lengths I'd go to achieve them.  
  
The summer before fifth year I got my well-deserved prefect badge and I wore it proudly. I had spent the past four years studying incredibly hard and working to maintain top marks. And I took extra care to stay out of trouble's grasp. Perhaps, at the utter insistence of my older brothers, I had learned to drag my head out of schoolwork for some periods of time. I played chess with Bill and watched Charlie, and later Fred and George, play Quidditch. But I still remained the most ambitious Weasley ever to grace Hogwarts, positive I was a Slytherin at heart.  
  
Meeting Penny at the end of fifth year woke me up to life more than anything ever before. Sixth year I was even willing to break a rule or two in order to spend time with her. But my goals were never completely sidetracked. Penny simply fit naturally into the picture of my future.  
  
Still, sixth year was when I realized why I was a Griffindor, deep down.  
  
The day Professor McGonagall came to tell us Ginny was taken into the Chamber of Secrets, the day I regard as one of the worst in my life thus far, I discovered why I was not what I had believed for nearly seven years.  
  
In that moment I knew, I knew beyond a doubt, that nothing, not prefect, Head Boy, my destiny with the Ministry, not one of my goals mattered if I never saw my little sister again. I would gladly, at that moment, hand McGonagall my prefect badge and abandon my dreams if it would bring Ginny out of the Chamber and back to our family. I was ambitious, I still am ambitious, but not ambitious enough to abandon my sister, or any of my loved ones, to pain and death. And that was where the line was drawn for me. That was why I couldn't be a Slytherin. I am too brave to give up on love and family for certain security of my goals. And now it's just a matter of remembering that line; remembering I'm a Griffindor; remembering to choose the right path.  
  
I think I will.  
  
End  
  
  
  
*****  
  
  
  
A/N: Boy am I scolding myself for writing this. I have two other stories that are still in progress and I go and write this little thing. **Sigh** When will I learn?  
  
Anyway, the inspiration for this fic came to me out of nowhere last night and I immediately began to work on a rough draft even though I should have been going through GoF for Percy scenes for "Impulsive." Or even getting some sleep, since I had school today. But I didn't do either of those things.  
  
The other real idea for this came from our class discussion in satire today about the novel "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller. (Spectacular book, go read it if you haven't!!!) We were talking about the idea of taking a stand for your ideals and for the things that were important to you and it sort of gave me the idea for how to end this. Therefore this is dedicated to my fabulous satire teacher, Mr. M.  
  
I hope you enjoyed reading this. Please review.  
  
~Katie 


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